The eyes of the world are on Paris as leaders from 195 countries continue to hammer out a global agreement on how to address climate change, a threat that is expected to have huge impact on the ability of some communities to grow food. Take beans, for example. Beans are a cheap and healthy diet staple for millions, especiallyRead More …

Ellen Tuyisenga has the answer. It came to her one day in the field, as she talked with friends about earnings from the previous bean harvest. One lady recounted that she had made more than US$1,000. Then her husband took the money away, leaving her with nothing. “I saw how hard the women worked, but they could not makeRead More …

When I grew up, poor people were thin. Books, films and news coverage of famines perpetuated the stereotype. But today, poor people are increasingly likely to be overweight. Now it’s often the rich who are the thin ones. It’s especially the case in cities, where most of humanity lives. There, wealthy folks might be packed into yoga hallsRead More …

In adopting the sustainable development goals (SDGs) at the United Nations summit held last month in New York City, world leaders made it very clear what agricultural research must accomplish in the years to come. By 2030, this research must, among other things, help reach goal 2 – “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainableRead More …

It’s October in Cyuve district, one of Rwanda’s most productive agricultural regions. Looking across the valley to the hills in the far distance, just one crop dominates. Climbing beans. The beans are not yet waist high. Instead, it is the many thousands of uniform two metre wooden stakes reaching into the sky that cover the entire landscape. You’d beRead More …

Responding to fears that bean production will take a big hit from global warming, CIAT scientists have identified about 30 “elite” lines showing tolerance to temperatures 4 degrees Centigrade above the crop’s normal “comfort zone.” Research on these beans, which is supported by the CGIAR Fund and documented in a recent CGIAR report, represents a major contribution to theRead More …

Twelve-year-old Branza has lived in an orphanage in Antananarivo, Madagascar’s capital, since 2010, because his parents cannot afford to feed him. Madagascar is known for its sunny beaches and scuba diving. What many don’t know is that nine out of ten Malagasy people live below the poverty threshold, according to a 2013 World Bank report. Madagascar is among theRead More …